The 2023 Pakistan Super League has now come to an end after 34 action-filled matches, with Lahore Qalanders becoming the first team to successfully defend their title. There were a number of standout performers, from established names to emerging ones. Indeed, it was a fantastic tournament for Pakistani cricket in general, with only a handful of overseas players making significant contributions.
Pakistan Super League 2023 team of the tournament
1) Babar Azam
Innings: 11; Runs: 522; Strike rate: 145.4; 50s/100s: 5/1; HS: 115
Switching from the Karachi Kings to Peshawar Zalmi saw Babar able to play his natural game with some brilliant top-order support around him. While at times he could have been considered to be scoring too slowly, the consistency of his performances meant that Zalmi were almost always able to put on a competitive score. His consistency is shown in the fact that he passed fifty more often than he didn't, a quite impressive stat for full t20 campaign.
2) Mohammad Rizwan
Innings: 12; Runs: 550; Strike rate: 142.9; 50s/100s: 4/1; HS: 110*
Like his international opening partner Babar, Multan skipper Rizwan's consistency was on display once again. He typically batted through the powerplay at the very least and was often a perfect foil for partners such as Usman Khan, Shan Masood and in particular Rilee Rossouw. Again, like Babar, he might not have scored briskly at all times but there was rarely a time where he didn't give the Sultans a solid base to work from as he went on to top the runscoring charts again.
3) Rilee Rossouw
For the second consecutive year, the burly South African took apart PSL bowling attacks with disdain. He has been very successful in Pakistan and again he found some significant form during the 2023 season, following a disappointing run in the inaugural SA20 in his native South Africa. His high score broke his own record for the fastest hundred in PSL history in just 41 balls, before it was broken just a day later by his teammate Usman. Along with his hefty strike rate, Rossouw also finished third in the runscorers list.
4) Saim Ayub
Arguably the breakout star of the 2023 PSL season, particularly on the batting front, Saim produced a brilliant campaign full of aesthetic stroke-making. The 20-year-old left-hander especially found his groove when he moved up to partner Babar at the very top of the innings and at one point made three fifties in a row. He also earned a maiden call-up to the Pakistan national t20 setup as a result of his fine showing in PSL 8.
5) Azam Khan
Well-known as the son of former Pakistan stalwart Moin Khan, Azam has once again proven that he is not in and around the national setup through nepotism. His stocky frame may raise some eyebrows, but they will often remain raised while watching the destruction that the 24-year-old is capable of carrying out.
He did so on a few occasions throughout the tournament, most notably during his astonishing innings of 97 against the Quetta Gladiators as he raised his team from 71-4 at halfway to 220-6. He might not have had the consistency as some of the other players here but his contributions were typically powerful and entertaining.
6) Imad Wasim
While the Karachi Kings had another tournament to forget, their captain Imad had a season for the ages. As primarily a bowling all-rounder throughout his career, Imad made it into the top five for runs scored, despite not qualifying for the playoffs. Imad's average of 134.7 makes his exploits all the more remarkable, given how many runs he was able to score while largely remaining unbeaten.
His runs were often scored as a consolation due to Karachi's poor form, but they were also scored at an incredible clip and consistency. His bowling was typically miserly as he often bowled some of the trickier overs throughout an innings.
7) Faheem Ashraf
Another bowling all-rounder, Faheem produced a couple of truly stunning innings throughout PSL 8. One in particular was incredible to watch as he dragged Islamabad from almost sure defeat to an eventual comfortable victory.
He almost pulled out similar on a couple of occasions too and showed his adaptability by batting between four and eight. With the ball, he wasn't prolific but added a quality option for United throughout.
8) Shaheen Shah Afridi
Innings: 8; Runs: 133; Strike rate: 168.4; 50s/100s: 0/0; HS: 52
Innings: 12; Wickets: 19; Average: 21.2; Economy: 9.13
Shaheen, one of the true stars of PSL, had a very interesting tournament. He started brilliantly with the ball, taking ten wickets in the first four games. His numbers then took a bit of a hit as his powerplay danger started to fade somewhat in the second part of the league stage. However, Shaheen the all-rounder then came out to play as he began to start promoting himself up the order, once as high as five.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe reached his maiden t20 fifty as a result of one of those promotions but it did often look questionable with the likes of Sikandar Raza and David Wiese in the hut, though Shaheen did of course provide a left-handed option.
9) Rashid Khan
Innings: 11; Wickets: 20; Average: 14.1; Economy: 6.53
One of the objectively best players in t20 cricket worldwide, Rashid had yet another productive tournament. He was the only player to have bowled more than 16 overs to have an economy below seven which, given the run-fests at Rawalpindi, is just another testament to his incredible quality and consistency. While he was not immune to attack, players such as Kieron Pollard noticeably played him out at times to focus their efforts on taking on other parts of the Qalanders attack.
10) Usama Mir
This spot could, and perhaps should, have easily gone to Mir's teammate Abbas. After all, Abbas ended the season with the most wickets at 23. But Mir typically bowled with excellent control and his economy, especially after the Rawalpindi round, is testament to that. In the Final, he swung the momentum Multan's way with 3-24 after only being introduced in the 12th over.
Overall, he did a good job through the middle overs and while he did not pick up as many wickets as Abbas, he did offer more control. That being said, Abbas did often have the unenviable job of bowling at the death, though that did also positively contribute to his wicket tally.
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